DUNFORD'S FARM TO MARQUETTE 305 



afforded them immense amusement. I put the best face 

 on the matter I could, and laughed and joked with them 

 in the hope that that would prove the best way of winning 

 their good will, for I could see that they were three very 

 nasty fellows. 



They began to throw my goods about, and to appro- 

 priate whatever took their fancy. Some cakes and jam, 

 which Mrs. Dunford had kindly given me for use on the 

 road, they ate, or wantonly threw away ; and each of them 

 donned one of my clean shirts, which they certainly 

 wanted badly enough. Having discovered that I was an 

 Englishman, they destroyed everything I possessed except 

 my arms. One scoundrel tried to take my rifle from me, 

 but I threw him off so vigorously that he fell mto the 

 hole out of which the mare had scrambled. For a moment 

 it looked as if there would be murder, for I was deter- 

 mined to die rather than suffer myself to be disarmed, 

 though I would not shed blood for the sake of a little 

 personal property ; but it ended in a laugh at the ridicu- 

 lous figure their mate cut, with his head in the hole and 

 his legs sticking up. 



When they had satisfied themselves, and plundered 

 me of all that they could carry, they began to walk away, 

 but I asking them again to help me pull the cart up they 

 turned back and did so, assisted me to mend the harness, 

 and then insisted in riding on to the hamlet in the cart. 

 Arriving there, I, of course, told the people what had 

 happened; but though there were twenty able-bodied 

 men in the place, they were so awed by these three 

 scoundrels that nobody dared lay a finger on them. 

 They remained in the place all night, eatmg and drinking 

 of the best, and treated as hail-fellow-well-met by the 

 majority of the inhabitants ; and in the morning would 

 have taken my horse and cart from me, but that by this 

 time my blood was up, and I threatened to blow the 

 brains out of the first fellow that touched them. I was 

 therefore permitted to depart, shorn as I was, but for- 



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